


Unexpected, Yet Expected, Soulmates

by An_Actual_Rat



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Body Swap, Eiffel Tower, F/M, First Kiss, Fluff, Identity Reveal, Marichat, Romantic Soulmates, Secret Identity, Spoilers for season one, Switching bodies, but - Freeform, but still, i guess, not first kiss technically, not much, takes place somewhere before recent episodes, there are platonic and enemy soulmates in this au but the ones in this fic are romantic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-01
Updated: 2019-09-01
Packaged: 2020-10-04 21:02:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,338
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20477429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/An_Actual_Rat/pseuds/An_Actual_Rat
Summary: At some point in each person's lives, they would switch bodies with their soulmate. Marinette couldn't wait to find out who her soulmate was. However, she did not expect to find herself switching bodies with Chat Noir while he was out on nightly patrol!





	Unexpected, Yet Expected, Soulmates

The day had pretty much been uneventful, much to everybody’s relief. The teachers at the school were glad to be able to get through an entire school day without an Akuma disrupting their lessons. Students were annoyed that they had to sit through class, but it was better than being attacked by random villains.

“Make sure to read the next chapter before class begins on Monday,” Miss Bustier said as the bell rang to dismiss everybody. “I hope all of you have a good rest of your day!”

“Marinette,” Alya turned towards her best friend, “do you want to go get some ice cream or something?”

“Sure!” Marinette joyfully agreed.

“Ice cream? Can we join?” Nino asked from the seats in front of them, having tuned into their conversation due to it being about food.

“Of course!” Alya said.

“What do you say, Adrien?” Nino said to the boy next to him. “Do you think your father would let you hang out for a bit?”

“I guess we’ll find out,” Adrien sighed, hating that he had such a strict schedule that prevented him from always having fun with his friends. He knew that he had an important photoshoot that night, but he sincerely hoped that his father would allow him some free time for at least a little bit before needing to show up. “You guys go ahead, though. I’ll meet up with you if I’m able to.”

“We’ll be in the park, then,” Alya said. They all waved goodbye as Adrien walked off, trying to get to his car quickly so that he would be able to talk to his father sooner. The other three took their time exiting the building and making their way to the park.

Soon, they had their ice cream. The three of them chose to sit on a bench nearby so that it would be easier for Adrien to find them. Luckily, he had texted a few minutes before that his father was letting him come for a little bit. 

“So,” Marinette started, ready ask her friends about something she had been curious about for a little bit, “how does it feel to finally find your soulmate?”

Alya and Nino both grinned. The two of them had found out about a week and a half ago that they were soulmates. They had been dating for a while before that, which was always a risky thing when there was a possibility of one of them having a romantic soulmate out there somewhere, but fate pulled through and showed that they were truly meant for each other.

“It’s wonderful, Marinette!” Alya told her.

“Yeah, I don’t know what I would have done if Alya wasn’t my soulmate!” Nino agreed.

See, soulmates were different for everybody. Some people had a romantic soulmate, like Nino and Alya. Others had a platonic soulmate. These were the closest of friends, somebody who they felt a lot for but didn’t have to deal with the kisses and expectations of being romantic with them. There were even those out there whose soulmate was their worst enemy, which some people liked to call “hatemates.” Sometimes, soulmates would start out as one type and move to another, but it was rare.

“You would have still loved me, right?” Alya asked.

“Of course! If I had a different soulmate, they probably would have been platonic or something, but we don’t have to worry about that,” Nino reassured her.

A person found out who their soulmate was at some random point in their life. Nobody could predict when they would find out. Most people got theirs in their teenage years, but there had been cases of older adults finally getting their soulmates as well. When it was a person’s turn to find their soulmate, they would switch bodies with that person. They would then have five to ten minutes to figure out who and where they were as well as trying to leave them ways to reach them. If a person could not find their soulmate with these details, they would switch again about a year later.

Marinette thought that the concept of soulmates was amazing. She really hoped to have a romantic soulmate, but she would not be opposed to having a platonic one either. The one she didn’t want was hatred, but that was mostly because she didn’t think she would be able to handle having somebody to hate that much. Hatemates usually had good reasons to have that type of bond, and both benefited from it, which was why they were soulmates to begin with. Marinette could not see how it would benefit her, so surely hers had to be one of the other two.

“What are we talking about?” Adrien’s voice sounded as he joined them on the bench.

“Hey, dude!” Nino greeted him. “Glad you could make it!”

“We were talking about soulmates!” Alya said. 

“Oh, yeah, how is that going?” Adrien asked.

“It’s going great!”

Alya and Nino went on and on about how wonderful it was to have their soulmate by their side. The two were definitely perfect for each other. Marinette and Adrien were both happy for their friends.

“Have you found your soulmate yet, Marinette?” Nino asked. Marinette squeaked, not expecting the question.

“No,” she barely managed to get out.

“You’ll find them someday, girlie,” Alya said. 

“Yeah, I’m sure it’ll be soon,” Nino nodded.

“How about you, Adrien?”

Adrien frowned. He really wanted to find his soulmate, but so far he had not switched with anybody. “Unfortunately, I have not.”

Marinette perked up a little bit. Adrien didn’t have a soulmate yet? That meant there was still a chance that he could be her soulmate! But wait… no, that would be impossible. There was no way she would have luck like that! Unless…? No, she could already tell that she would end up disappointed if she kept those thoughts in her head. She couldn’t let her silly crush hurt her more and more.

They continued to talk for as long as they could. Before they knew it, Adrien had to leave for hi photoshoot. Alya decided it was best for them all to get home, so they all said their goodbyes.

At her house later that night, Marinette dropped down on her bed with a tired groan.

“Are you alright, Marinette?” Tikki asked as she came out from her hiding spot in Marinette’s purse. 

“I’m fine, Tikki,” Marinette said, “I’m just sad that I don’t have my soulmate yet. It must be nice to be able to say that you found your closest partner.”

“Don’t worry, you’ll find them soon!”

“I sure hope so. When I do switch with my soulmate, we need to somehow make sure you’re not in sight. I wouldn’t want them to freak out or even figure out that I’m Ladybug!”

“I’m sure it’ll be fine. If I notice you being confused about your surroundings at all, I’ll sit still somewhere!”

“Okay, good. Thanks.”

Marinette closed her eyes, considering going to sleep even though it wasn’t that late yet. A nap couldn’t hurt, and it would hopefully keep her sane enough for when she needed to do homework later. As she thought about sleep, a different thought popped into her head.

“Tikki, do you have a soulmate?” Marinette wondered out loud.

“Well, yes, I do, but I’m not sure how much I should say about it,” Tikki responded.

“That’s fine, I was only curious. Is there anything you can tell me about them? They’re probably another Kwami, right?”

“Yeah, he’s a Kwami. During times like these, I don’t get much alone time with him, but when I do see him, I get really happy. He’s not that charming unfortunately, but he usually has good intentions.”

Marinette smiled, ready to respond, but before she could, fate had another idea. In a matter of mere seconds, she felt extremely dizzy before everything turned black.

...

“Plagg, claws out!”

After the photoshoot, Adrien needed to get away from the house and everything to do with his civilian life. While the photoshoot wasn’t necessarily bad, he was too tired to deal with any other responsibilities as Adrien. Instead, he decided to transform into Chat Noir and go on the nightly patrol a little bit early.

Hopping between rooftops, Chat Noir kept an eye out for any suspicious activity while also going through his own thoughts. He thought about the soulmate conversation from earlier and how amazing it would be if Ladybug ended up being his soulmate.

What if one day they’re in the middle of a fight and they switch? While he would be ecstatic, he also wondered whether or not they would be able to keep it together those five to ten minutes before switching back. Surely they would be good enough to keep fighting and not let switching bodies slow them down. Oh, but what if they switched as civilians? Would he still realize that she was Ladybug? There was no doubt about it! He would have to know it was her! She was his partner and love of his life, after all!

Chat Noir deeply wished that his soulmate could be Ladybug, but with so many people in the world, the chances of that happening didn’t look too bright. In his mind, there was no way they possibly couldn’t be soulmates, but Ladybug never showed any interest in liking him the way he loved her. Would she oppose to being his soulmate?

It was no matter. Whatever happened in the future would make him happy. Ladybug or not, his soulmate would be his to love and cherish forever and ever. At least, he assumed it would be love, as how could it not be? He was romantic! His soulmate would not be able to resist his charm!

Finding nothing too concerning about Paris so far that night, Chat Noir took to sitting on top of the Eiffel Tower in order to gaze upon the city. He made sure he was hidden from anybody nearby, as a few people were still up there too. 

As he was looking out into the far distance, he started to feel dizzy. It was a good thing he was sitting down, but he still braced himself again the beam next to him so that he wouldn’t fall. Then, he felt nothing as blackness took over his vision.

...

Something was… different. It was almost wrong, but not quite. Opening her eyes, Marinette found that she was not in her room anymore. Somehow she had made it outside on the… was this the Eiffel Tower? How had she gotten up here?

Wait… she must have switched with her soulmate!

Marinette’s eyes widened as she glanced down at herself. She didn't know what she had been expecting, but what she saw definitely wasn’t it. She was wearing a black suit that had a tail and a bell. There was a mask on her face. Holding her hand out, she could see a ring with a paw print on it.

Oh gosh, her soulmate was Chat Noir!

Marinette thought she was going to faint for a second. How could Chat Noir be the one she was destined to be the closest to? She had been avoiding his advances on Ladybug. Oh no, what would he say if he found out she was Ladybug? Would he still love her even if he found out his Lady was really such a clumsy girl? Wait, why was she so worried about that? She didn’t want this!

Did she?

She had to admit that Chat Noir was really sweet. He always cared for her as Ladybug, and he always seemed to care for everybody else to. If he was her soulmate, then he would also love and care for her too, right? She also found his jokes funnier than she let him believe. There was no denying that he was utterly adorable too. He was alluring in his own way. Cute, yet charming.

Ugh, she did like Chat. This was a disaster. Adrien was supposed to be her soulmate, and here she was suddenly pining after the partner she had been denying for so long!

There was another problem, too. Marinette didn’t know who Chat was as a civilian. How was she supposed to find him when he was not a superhero? She didn’t want to simply date Chat Noir. She wanted to be with him in all forms! She would be willing to tell him who she was too! The secret identities meant less to her than getting to be with her soulmate.

Looking around, Marinette tried to find a way to let him know where to find her. She didn’t know if he knew where she lived. While they had interacted with each other once or twice shortly in the past, he probably wouldn’t be able to find her easily. There was no way for her to find him if he leaves the Eiffel Tower, which he most likely would by the time she was able to go out and find him. She could always transform into Ladybug to go look for him, but he wouldn’t listen to her as she would try to explain. He would only be thinking of finding his soulmate.

Picking up his condensed staff, she managed to pull up the phone that would have connected to her own yo-yo if Ladybug had been out. She only had a very short amount of time left, so she typed out a message as fast as she could. Her fingers moved quickly as she typed out her name, address, and a short note saying to come find her. She kept the phone in her hand as she felt herself go dizzy again, smiling in relief that she had gotten it written in time. A moment later, she was gone from that body.

...

Adrien was in Marinette’s room. Why was he in her room? Did he somehow go there and fall asleep? That didn’t make sense. So why…?

He was in her body! He had swapped bodies with Marinette! She was his soulmate! 

“This is weird,” Adrien said to himself. “My voice is so high. I feel so… small. But this is oddly… nice?”

Adrien had thought about what it would be like to date Marinette before. How could he not? She was super nice, even if she was always nervous around him for some reason. She was confident around Alya, but he guessed that was to be expected since they were best friends. Maybe now that they were soulmates she would be more open to him. Yeah, he hoped so.

While he had been hoping to open his eyes to find himself in Ladybug’s body, he was surprisingly not disappointed. Sure, he had not expected to find himself in Marinette’s body, but he strangely felt like it was correct. He was content with this.

Wait, oh no, he was not content! He was not content at all! Adrien realized that he had been out as Chat Noir during the switch. Marinette wasn’t going to know it was him! She would only see Chat! What was he going to do? Should he reveal who he is? Ladybug said not to let anybody know who he was, but she would understand if it was his soulmate. At least, he hoped so. It would be too difficult to date her as just Chat. People would talk about her enough for being Adrien’s soulmate since he was famous and all, but the press would bother her even more if she was known as Chat’s soulmate. He knew she would not enjoy being in the spotlight for something like that.

A few minutes had passed in his panic. They would be switching back soon. Looking around, he found a notebook sitting on Marinette’s desk. Making his way over, he grabbed a pen and wrote that he would be on his way over and to wait for him. He had to make sure she knew that he would find her and they could talk.

Another minute or two passed. He spent the time looking around for anything he had missed the last time he had been up in here. Nearby, there was a little red stuffed animal on her bed, but it was too far away from where he was out to see what exactly it was. On her closet door, he saw what could only have been some of his modeling photos. He started to make him way over for a closer look, but everything went dark before he could get there. 

...

While finally switching bodies with her soulmate had been cool, Marinette was glad to be back in her own. Those were the most confusing minutes of her life. The only thing that could have topped those minutes in the confusion factor was when she first met Tikki and transformed into Ladybug.

To her horror, she was facing her closet. She could see her photos of Adrien peeking out. Chat had seen them. What was he going to think? She didn’t want him to think she wouldn’t care for him because of her silly crush on Adrien! No, she couldn’t think about that for now. She had to see if he left her any notes.

There was nothing on her bed, but she did notice that the notebook on her desk had been flipped open. Walking over, she found a sloppily handwritten note on the page (she assumed it was so bad because he was not used to writing with her hands). 

He was on his way right now! She had to look presentable. 

“Tikki, do I look alright?” Marinette asked.

“Yes, you look fine,” Tikki said. “Are you alright? Did you find out who your soulmate is?”

“Oh my gosh, Tikki, you won’t believe who it is! And he’s on his way right now, that’s what his note says!”

“Who is it? Is it Adrien?”

“No, it’s Chat Noir!”

“Oh, really? We’ve never actually had a Ladybug and Chat Noir be soulmates before. You’d expect all of them to be due to how close of partners they always are, but usually they have different soulmates from their civilian life somewhere.”

“Is it bad that we’re soulmates?”

“Not at all,” Tikki said, “but it might make things a little bit more difficult. You’re going to have to tell him who you are. He will too.”

“I know, but I feel like it’s worth it.”

“While I don’t like that your identities will need to be revealed, it can’t be helped. It might even be helpful in the long run. You’ll have to be more careful, though.”

“Yeah, I,” Marinette was interrupted by knocking coming from her window. “He’s here!”

Tikki froze again as Marinette ran to open the window. Chat Noir was hanging there, a big grin on his face. 

“Hey there, soulmate,” Chat Noir greeted, “mind letting me in?”

Marinette nodded, moving to the side to let the hero in. She made sure to close the window behind him, not wanting there to even be a chance of somebody from outside being able to hear in.

“Sooooooooo,” Chat Noir drew out, “I’m sorry for being so high off the ground when the switch happened. In my defense, I had no idea it was about to happen.”

“It’s fine, silly cat,” Marinette waved off his concern. He didn’t know it yet, but she had been higher off the ground before. “I guess you’re my soulmate, huh?”

“Well, try to act a little bit more excited! Don’t you think this is purr-fect? We’ll make great soulmates!” 

Marinette did not think Chat Noir would accept this as fast as he did. She expected him to be gloomy about not being Ladybug’s soulmate (which, he was, but he didn’t know that yet). Though, maybe it did make sense. Chat always considered himself romantic, especially while around Ladybug, so he probably had anxiously been waiting for the day he got his soulmate too. 

She decided to voice her thoughts. “Are you sure you’re okay with me as your soulmate? I mean, I would have thought that you wanted to be Ladybug’s.”

“Well, obviously you’re better for me if fate put us together. Sure, I will always admire Ladybug, don’t get me wrong, but I’ve been waiting to find my soulmate for so many years. I finally have somebody to talk to that will see the real me, and that’s you! I won’t have to pretend around you.”

Marinette’s cheeks heated up. “So, I take it that you’re wanting this to be romantic?”

“Well, yeah, but if you don’t that’s totally fine!”

“No, I do! I’ve always wanted that with my soulmate.”

Chat Noir gave her a soft smile. “Alright, but let’s take it slow. I want to reveal who I really am to you right now, but I am going to have to go talk to Ladybug about that first. She is big on not telling a single soul about who we are. Somehow, I’ll convince her that it’ll be alright. For now, can we get to know each other better? I feel more like myself as Chat Noir anyway, so if we talk like this, it'll be easier for me to get everything out. I’m afraid that as a civilian I’m not who everybody expects me to be.”

Marinette was going to go ahead and reveal everything to him at that moment, but he did have a point. If she told him that she was Ladybug right now, then it would be hard to show him who she really was underneath. She was herself as Marinette. Ladybug was never how she truly felt she could be. If Chat Noir was the opposite, then she had no problems with getting to know who he really was like that. She wanted him to feel comfortable about opening up. Then, maybe when she found out who he was, he would be able to be himself around her still.

She sat down on her bed, gesturing for Chat to do so as well. “What would you like to know, then?”

...

The next day was spent doing homework, so Marinette never really had time to go out as Ladybug in order to talk to Chat Noir. He didn’t come visit her either, so she assumed that he was busy as well. It was not a big deal, she would see him soon. The only thing she went out to do was to go talk to Master Fu real quick. She had to make sure it was okay that they were going to know each other’s identities. He didn’t like the thought of how vulnerable it was going to make them if they didn’t play their cards right, but he told her that he trusted her. He would be okay with it so that they could be with their soulmates properly.

She had to go to school again the day after that. It had been a few days since the previous Akuma attack, so she had a feeling that class would be interrupted that day by one. Hawk Moth would not go too much longer without causing a ruckus. 

“Hey girl!” Alya waved when Marinette joined her in the classroom, getting there a few seconds before the bell rang. “You made it on time today! Well, barely.”

“That’s better than being late,” Marinette said. Both of them chuckled, fully knowing that that was true.

For the next few hours, they had to sit quietly as they paid attention in class. The lesson that day was actually interesting, so neither of them were trying to sneak conversations in. Soon, however, it was lunch time, and they were able to talk about anything they wanted again.

“You’re in an awfully good mood today. Did something happen last night?” Alya questioned.

Marinette didn’t know whether or not she should tell Alya what happened. She would freak out if she knew, and then demand for as many details as she could give. Marinette would be unwilling to tell everything, since the stuff she and Chat had talked about that night had turned very personal at times. There was also the fact that if she did find out Chat’s identity and started dating him as civilians, then Alya would figure it out as well! Then, she’d figure out that she was Ladybug because there was no way that Chat would keep to himself while they were transformed! Everybody would know that they were soulmates by the end of the week, that was for sure. Alya was smart, and she’d see immediately that she was Ladybug if she told her Chat was who she switched bodies with. She couldn’t tell her.

“I just got a good night’s sleep, that’s all,” Marinette lied. 

“Oh, well, that’s good. I was hoping for something juicer, but I’m glad that you’re getting sleep for once,” Alya said.

Class resumed eventually, and in the middle of the lesson, the thing that Marinette knew was going to happen occured. Screams sounded from outside, and distinct noises of some type of magic could be heard. Hawk Moth had found his next target to send an Akuma to.

Kids crowded around the window to see what was going on. As they were distracted, Marinette managed to slip out of the room unnoticed. She knew that they would be running soon, as the sounds were getting closer, so nobody would blame her for having escaped. Nobody would be suspicious.

In the girl’s bathroom, which was thankfully empty, Marinette transformed into Ladybug. It was time to fight another Akuma.

...

“Pound it!”

The battle had been close, but, as always, Ladybug and Chat Noir came out victorious. The two of them helped up the victim who had been Akumatized, making sure they were okay. Both only had a few more minutes left of their transformation, but they knew they would get away from prying eyes in time.

“Ladybug,” Chat Noir stopped her before she could think of running off.

“Yes?” Ladybug questioned, knowing exactly what was about to go down. She felt her heartbeat pick up with how nervous she was becoming, but she knew this conversation could not wait. They were going to have to reveal themselves to each other. 

“Can I talk to you for a moment? Somewhere alone?” 

Ladybug nodded before following him to a secluded area on a rooftop. She looked around to make sure it was impossible for anybody else to see them. It seemed like a good location.

“We only have like two minutes, so I’ll make this quick,” Chat said. “I wanted to let you know that I found my soulmate very recently, but there was a slight problem with it. I was Chat at the time, so she only knows me as superhero me and not civilian me. See, I really want to tell her who I really am so that I can date her all the time, not just as Chat. I want everybody at our school to know that we’re soulmates and…”

Chat ranted for a few seconds while Ladybug stood there, shocked that he was so passionate about his soulmate. She was also confused about the school part. They went to the same school? That meant he knew her in his civilian life if he knew her from school. Who could it be?

“What I’m saying is that I wanted to talk to you first about telling her who I am so that you wouldn’t be mad about endangering her or us or anything, and…”

“Chat,” Ladybug stopped him as her earring gave off her final warning beep. He still had a tiny bit more time than her, so she guessed that she would reveal herself first. “I know.”

“You do?” Chat was obviously confused. He was eyeing her earrings, knowing that she only had a few seconds. “Hey, we can continue this soon, you can go so that you don’t-”

Ladybug grabbed his arm to prevent him from leaving. Chat Noir cut off as she did so, looking at her with wide eyes.

“My Lady?”

“Trust me.”

Her transformation was up. She kept her grip on Chat Noir firm, making sure that he would see who she was. The next thing they knew, Marinette was in Ladybug’s place. Her Kwami was tired, so she simply made her way to where she knew Marinette kept food in her purse, leaving the two to talk.

“Marinette? You’re Ladybug?” Chat whispered, awe clear in his voice. Marinette gave a weak nod, happy that she followed through with her plan but scared of what was to come. She didn’t want Chat to be mad at her, but her worry was unwarranted. Chat Noir leaned forward and embraced her in the warmest hug she had ever received in her life. “This is amazing! You’re amazing! How did I get so lucky to have both of the amazing women in my life as my soulmate? She’s you! You’re her! Ahhhhh, this is purr-fect!”

Marinette giggled, pushing Chat away playfully as his ring beeped at him, telling him he was about to transform back too. “You silly cat, are you going to tell me who you are now?”

“Can I?”

“I would be upset if you didn’t.”

Marinette watched as Chat Noir released his transformation. She was slightly nervous to see who he would be, but she knew that no matter what she would love him. It could be anybody, and she would be fine with that. 

And how fine with it she was.

“A-Adrien?!” Marinette gasped.

“Hey, Marinette,” Adrien shyly said. The two were still standing very close, and both had a slight blush on their faces. Neither made any move to get away.

“I’ve had a crush on you for so long, and now you’re my soulmate? I’m going to faint.”

“It seems both of us fell for the wrong side of each other first. I idolized Ladybug even though you said you didn’t feel much like her at all.”

“Oh geez, and I liked the persona you put on in front of everybody. You meant it when you said that you felt more free as Chat?”

“Yeah, I don’t have to pretend as him.”

“Well, it’s a good thing I fell for that side of you too. Now, you don’t have to pretend around me at all, either. You can just be you.”

Adrien grinned. “And when we’re alone as Chat Noir and Ladybug, you can be you as well. You don’t have to pretend to be a person you don’t feel comfortable as in front of me.”

The two of them felt relieved. They could finally be themselves all the time in front of at least one other person. There would be no more secrets getting in the way. No more worries about whether or not the other would ever like them back. No more wondering about the other’s identity and if they would ever find out. Nothing could stop them now.

“Can I kiss you, Marinette?” Adrien asked.

“Of course you can, Chaton.”

Adrien cupped her cheek before leaning forward to kiss her. It was sweet and simple, but it was perfect for an almost first kiss. There had been that kiss that Adrien didn’t remember, but this was the first kiss that both of them would remember. It was the first meaningful one to get their relationship started.

“Hey!” A tired voice interrupted, “can I get my cheese before you do that? I’m starving here!”

They pulled apart, both of them laughing as Adrien pulling out a container of cheese from his jacket pocket. He handed a piece to Plagg.

“Thank you!” Plagg grinned before digging in.

“I still don’t get how you eat that stuff,” Tikki said as she came out from her place in Marinette’s purse. “It’s disgusting.”

“You just have poor taste!”

“Yeah, in men.”

“Hey!”

Marinette and Adrien shook their heads, amused at their Kwamis, before getting back to where they had left off.

El Fin


End file.
